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The Legend of the Cedar Tree
A long time ago when the Cherokee people were new upon the earth, they thought that life would be much better if there was never any night. They beseeched the Ouga (Creator) that it might be day all the time and that there would be no darkness.

The Creator heard their voices and made the night cease and it was day all the time. Soon the forest was thick with heavy growth. It became difficult to walk and to find the path. The people toiled in the gardens many long hours trying to keep the weeds pulled from among the corn and other food plants. It got hot, very hot, and continued that way day after long day. The people began to find it difficult to sleep and became short tempered and argued among themselves.

Not many days had passed before the people realized they had made a mistake and, once again, they beseeched the Creator. "Please," they said, "we have made a mistake in asking that it be day all the time. Now we think that it should be night all the time." The Creator paused at this new request and thought that perhaps the people may be right even though all things were created in twos? representing to us day and night, life and death, good and evil, times of plenty and those times of famine. The Creator loved the people and decided to make it night all the time as they had asked.

The day ceased and night fell upon the earth. Soon, the crops stopped growing and it became very cold. The people spent much of their time gathering wood for the fires. They could not see to hunt meat and with no crops growing, it was not long before the people were cold, weak, and very hungry. Many of the people died.

Those that remained still living gathered once again to beseech the Creator. "Help us Creator," they cried! "We have made a terrible mistake. You had made the day and the night perfect, and as it should be, from the beginning. We ask that you forgive us and make the day and night as it was before."

Once again the Creator listened to the request of the people. The day and the night became as the people had asked, as it had been in the beginning. Each day was divided between light and darkness. The weather became more pleasant, and the crops began to grow again. Game was plentiful and the hunting was good. The people had plenty to eat and there was not much sickness. The people treated each other with compassion and respect. It was good to be alive. The people thanked the Creator for their life and for the food they had to eat.

The Creator accepted the gratitude of the people and was glad to see them smiling again. However, during the time of the long day of night, many of the people had died, and the Creator was sorry they had perished because of the night. The Creator placed their spirits in a newly created tree. This tress was named a-tsi-na tlu-gv {ah-see-na loo-guh} cedar tree.

When you smell the aroma of the cedar tree or gaze upon it standing in the forest, remember that if you are Tsalagi Cherokee, you are looking upon your ancestor.

Tradition holds that the wood of the cedar tree holds powerful protective spirits for the Cherokee. Many carry a small piece of cedar wood in their medicine bags worn around the neck. It is also placed above the entrances to the house to protect against the entry of evil spirits. A traditional drum would be made from cedar wood.

The Creator did not make the people because of loneliness, but because the Creator wanted to show generosity and love to the people. Accept the blessings and the gifts given and always give thanks for them.
The Runaways
There was once a young man who had journeyed a long way from home in search
of adventure. One day he came to a strange village on the border of a great
wood, but while yet some distance from the lodges, he happened to glance
upward. In the boughs of a tree just above his head he saw a light scaffold,
and on the scaffold a maiden sitting at her needlework.
Instead of boldly entering the village, as he had intended, the youth walked
on a little way, then turned and again passed under the tree. He did this
several times, and each time he looked up, for the girl was the prettiest
that he had ever seen.
He did not show himself to the people, but for several days he lingered on
the borders of the wood, and at last he ven- tured to speak with the maiden
and to ask her to be his wife. She did not seem to be at all unwilling;
however, she said to him:
"You must be very careful, for my grandmother does not wish me to marry. She
is a very wicked old woman, and has thus far succeeded in killing every one
of my suitors."
"In that case, we must run away," the young man replied. "Tonight, when your
grandmother is asleep, pull up some of the tent-pins and come out. I shall
be waiting for you!"
The girl did as he had said, and that same night they fled together and by
morning were far from the village.
However, the maiden kept looking over her shoulder as if fearing pursuit,
and at last her lover said to her:
"Why do you continue to look behind you? They will not have missed you until
daylight, and it is quite certain now that no one can overtake us!"
"Ah," she replied, "my grandmother has powerful magic! She can cover a whole
day's journey at one step, and I am convinced that she is on our trail."
"In that case, you shall see that I too know something of magic," returned
the young man. Forthwith he threw down one of his mittens, and lo! their
trail was changed to the trail of a Buffalo. He threw down the other mitten,
and it became the carcass of a Buffalo lying at the end of the trail.
"She will follow this far and no farther," he declared; but the maiden shook
her head, and ceased not from time to time to glance over her shoulder as
they hastened onward.
In truth it was not long till she saw the old woman in the distance, coming
on with great strides and shaking her cane and her gray head at the
runaways.
"Now it is my turn!" the girl exclaimed, and threw down her comb, which
became a thick forest behind the fleeing ones, so that the angry old woman
was held back by the dense underbrush.
When she had come out of the forest at last and was again gaining upon them,
the girl threw her awl over her shoulder and it became a chain of mountains
with high peaks and sharp precipices, so that the grandmother was kept back
longer than before. Nevertheless, her magic was strong, and she still
struggled on after the lovers.
In the meantime, they had come to the bank of a river both wide and deep,
and here they stood for a while doubting how they should cross, for there
was neither boat nor ford. However, there were two Cranes near by, and to
these the young man addressed himself.
"My friends," said he, "I beg of you to stand on the opposite banks of this
river and stretch your necks across, so that we may cross in safety! Only do
this, and I will give to each of you a fine ornament for your breast, and
long fringes on your leggings, so that you will hereafter be called the
handsomest of birds!"
The Cranes were willing to oblige, and they stood thus with their beaks
touching over the stream, so that the lovers crossed on their long necks in
safety.
"Now," exclaimed the young man," I must ask of you one more favor! If an old
woman should come down to the river and seek your help, place your heads
together once more as if to allow her to cross, but when she is half way
over you must draw back and let her fall in mid-stream. Do this, and I
promise you that you shall never be in want!"
In a little while the old woman came down to the river, quite out of breath,
and more angry than before. As soon as she noticed the two Cranes, she began
to scold and order them about.
"Come here, you long-necks, you ungainly creatures, come and help me over
this river!" she cried.
The two Cranes again stood beak to beak, but when the wicked grandmother had
crossed half way they pulled in their necks and into the water she went,
screaming out threats and abuse as she whirled through the air. The current
swept her quickly away and she was drowned, for there is no magic so strong
that it will prevail against true love.
The Story of Nv Yv Nu Wi "Stone, coat on, or dressed in stone"
Once, long ago, when all the people were out in the
mountains on a
great hunt one man who had gone on ahead climbed to the
top of a high ridge
and found a large river on the other side. While he was
looking across he
saw an old man walking about on the opposite ridge, with
a cane that seemed
to be made of some bright, shining rock. The hunter
watched and saw that
every little while the old man would point his cane in a
certain direction,
then draw it back and smell the end of it. At last he
pointed it in the
direction of the hunting camp on the other side of the
mountain, and this
time when he drew back the staff he sniffed it several
times as if it
smelled very good, and then started along the ridge
straight for the camp.
He moved very slowly, with the help of the cane, until
he reached the end
of the ridge, when he threw the cane out into the air
and it became a
bridge of shining rock stretching across the river.
After he had crossed
over upon the bridge it became a cane again, and the old
man picked it up
and started over the mountain toward the camp.

The hunter was frightened and felt sure that it meant
mischief, so he
hurried on down the mountain and took the shortest trail
back to the camp
to get there before the old man. When he got there and
told his story the
Adawehi said the old man was a wicked cannibal monster
called
Nvyvnuwi-Dressed In Stone, who lived in that part of the
country, and was
always going about the mountains looking for some hunter
to kill and eat.
It was very hard to escape from him, because his stick
guided him like a
dog, and it was nearly as hard to kill him, because his
whole body was
covered with a skin of solid rock. If he came he would
kill and eat them
all, there was only one way to save themselves. He could
not bear to look
upon a woman in her Moon-time, and if they could find
seven virgins, each
in their Moon-time,one from each of the seven clans, to
stand in the path
as he came along the sight would kill him.

So they asked among all the women, and found seven who
were in that
way, and with one it had just begun. By the order of the
Adawehi they
stripped themselves and stood along the path where the
old man would come.
Soon they heard Nvyvnuwi coming through the woods,
feeling his way with the
stone cane. He came along the trail to where the first
woman was standing,
and as he saw her he started and cried out: "Yu! My
grandchild; you are in
a very bad state!" He hurried past her, but in a moment
he met the next
woman, and cried out again: "Yu! My child; you are in a
terrible way," and
hurried past her, but now he was vomiting blood. He
hurried on and met the
third and the fourth and the fifth woman, but with each
one that he saw his
step grew weaker until when he came to the last one,
with whom it had just
begun, the blood poured from his mouth and he fell down
the trail.

The Adawehi drove seven sourwood stakes through his body
and pinned
him to the ground, and when night came they piled great
logs over him and
set fire to them, and all the people gathered around to
see. Nvyvnuwi was
very wise and knew many secrets, and now as the fire
came close to him he
began to talk, and told them the medicine for all kinds
of sickness. At
midnight he began to sing, and sang the hunting songs
for calling up deer,
bear and all the animals of the woods and mountains. As
the blaze grew
hotter his voice sank lower and lower, until at last
when daylight came,
the logs were a heap of white ashes and the voice was
still.

The Adawehi told them to rake off the ashes, and where
the body had
lain they found only a large lump of wa'di paint and a
magic Ulvnsuti
stone. He kept the stone for himself, and calling the
people around him he
painted them, on face and breast, with the red wo'di,
and whatever each
person prayed for while the painting was being
done-whether for hunting
success, for working skill, or for long life-that gift
was his.

Art work on this page by permission of Denton Lund see link below.
Favorite Links
 
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Denton Lund Web Site
Art work by Denton available at this site.

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The Raccon and the Bee Tree
Another story

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